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macinux · 02:08 PM

I stopped by an apple store last night to compare the matte display for both 15 inch and 17 inch. From what I can tell, the 17 inch matte lcd is just like my old powerbook without much grainy. I am conisdering to have a 17 inch one. But my wife can not tell the difference at all. She may want to save some money on that.

TheSpaz · Nov 15, 2006, 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by macinux

I stopped an apple store last night to compare the matte display for both 15 inch and 17 inch. From what I can tell, the 17 inch matte lcd is just like my old powerbook without much grainy. I am conisdering to have a 17 inch one. But my wife can not tell the difference at all. She may want to say some money on that.

I know what you mean. LCDs are gonna have that certain grain to them from the coating on the display... but, to me... the MacBook Pro was unbearable (believe me, I tried to get used to it for over a week and I tried my hardest not to see it, but it was taunting me and I finally had enough.)

Thanks for the 15" and 17" comparison. Are you gonna return your MacBook Pro?

Sulev · Nov 15, 2006, 01:51 PM

Originally Posted by macinux

I stopped an apple store last night to compare the matte display for both 15 inch and 17 inch. From what I can tell, the 17 inch matte lcd is just like my old powerbook without much grainy. I am conisdering to have a 17 inch one. But my wife can not tell the difference at all. She may want to say some money on that.

Did You compared MBP C2D 17" to MacBook C2D display? Was Your old powerbook with You or You decided by eye about grainy?

macinux · Nov 15, 2006, 02:06 PM

My macbook pro is on the way. It should arrive by Friday. I am thinking if I need to open the box then. It is hard to make a decision. I didn't have my powerbook with me at apple store. But I have been working on powerbook for years and got used to it already. For me, I can tell the difference right way. I didn't compare MBP C2D 17" to MacBook C2D display.

Sulev · Nov 15, 2006, 02:34 PM

Originally Posted by macinux

My macbook pro is on the way. It should arrive by Friday. I am thinking if I need to open the box then. It is hard to make a decision. I didn't have my powerbook with me at apple store. But I have been working on powerbook for years and got used to it already. For me, I can tell the difference right way. I didn't compare MBP C2D 17" to MacBook C2D display.

Thank You for the comparison!
You have very hard decision to do! Of course, now You know beforehand too much and will see grainy display anyway on Your coming macbook pro. I have very best LCD experience with my 5,5 years old 17" LCD Mac Studio display ( from first generation of Mac Lcd's, price was around 1700USD, still runs excellent) and I can't understand how six years later makers of computers can provide such bad ( limited) technical solution.
I'll visit local Apple Store tomorrow, only problem they havn't maybe MBP C2D 17" model in. Take a time to think!

outthere · Nov 15, 2006, 02:56 PM

Originally Posted by TheSpaz

... but, to me... the MacBook Pro was unbearable (believe me, I tried to get used to it for over a week and I tried my hardest not to see it, but it was taunting me and I finally had enough.)

Thanks for the 15" and 17" comparison. Are you gonna return your MacBook Pro?

so you haven't decided what to do still? since somneone said that there are better ones ( w/o the grainy thing) out there, i think im going to send mine back

polendo · Nov 15, 2006, 03:02 PM

Good decision Spaz. Ultimately the bottomline is how you feel about your laptop. I screwed up with my Compaq and should have returned it right away and not think to that "it will pass" with time.

TheSpaz · Nov 15, 2006, 05:07 PM

Originally Posted by polendo

Good decision Spaz. Ultimately the bottomline is how you feel about your laptop. I screwed up with my Compaq and should have returned it right away and not think to that "it will pass" with time.

That's the same exact thought I had at first. "Maybe if I just give it some time and I won't notice it" Then, with each passing day, it seemed to get worse and worse (not physically but, mentally worse) and I realized that if I'm not happy with it now, I will never be happy with it and it's too big of an investment to shrug it off. I knew that I would never really fully enjoy my investment unless I did something about it. Anyways, yeah, I tried to get used to it as much as I possibly could but, it still stared me right back in the face.

I showed it to a few buddies at work and they could see the same "Sparkle" effect and they also agreed that it would bother them too. One lady I showed it to didn't see anything at first and then when I was talking to her later she mentioned that the only thing she saw was dust on the screen... and I was like "AHA!.. There's no dust on the screen at all, that's spotless". Then right then she realized what I was talking about.

schmoe · Nov 15, 2006, 07:47 PM

I hadn't been paying much attention to this topic since my C2D MBP seems the same as my CD MBP, and also not much different from the 1600x1200 15" screen on my ThinkPad T43p (or the 1280x1024 LCD I use at work).

However yesterday I got a ThinkPad T60p with the 1400x1050 14" screen and wow what a difference. The T60p's screen is incredibly crisp, bright, and has none of the "sparkle" or whatever you want to call it (feels more like very small differences in brightness to me).

TheSpaz · Nov 15, 2006, 11:22 PM

Hello! I'm at the Apple Store! Here's my story.

I returned my MacBook Pro but, they insisted that I pay the restocking fee... Which is fine, I figured I would have to anyway.

The screens I looked at:

MacBook Pro 15" - Bad Grain, very visible (like my old MacBook Pro)
MacBook Pro 17" Glossy - Happens to be a Core Duo - Little or no grain
MacBook Pro 17" Matte - Also a Core Duo (for some reason) - Little or no grain
iMac 24" and 30" - Very impressed... Virtually no grain or sparkle at all (love it)
iMac 17" - Not so much... more like the MacBook Pro 17 as far as grain goes.
20" Apple Cinema Display - Little grainy but, the bigger pixels make it look better - Not bad, I wouldn't mind it
24" Apple Cinema - Same as 20"
30" Apple Cinema - Same as 20"
MacBook - Pixel perfect - Whites are pure white - No grain that I could see

On a side note: When I was looking at the 17" MBP CD Matte... I noticed that it was slightly shinier than the newer MacBook Pros with the Matte screens... it reflected more light (it was not glossy) and in my opinion those were some of the smoothest displays in the store (next to the MacBooks). The weird thing is... those MacBook Pro 17" models were not the Core 2 Duo... why does Apple even have those out on display? This makes me believe that they were using a different type of screen for the previous line of MacBook Pros (at least for the 17").

polendo · Nov 16, 2006, 12:29 AM

One thing I did noticed when I went back to Office Depot to check out the other screens was that the white light kind of hide the sparkle effect. Under normal day light that sparkle effect magnifies.

JimMueller · Nov 16, 2006, 08:55 AM

I was alerted to this discussion the day our MBP-17" machines were possibly going to ship. I discussed it with my wife and we decided to open only one when they arrive and we would compare it to our "old" 17" PowerBooks. I got the Apple shipping notice that they were being picked up in Shanghai on Tuesday. The FedEx tracking said they'd be delivered here in New Jersey on Friday. They arrived on Wednesday morning. Boy was she surprised. The boxes also were much smaller than those of the PB17s - probably more efficient styrofoam...

Since we had both PB17 G4 & MBP17 C2D on hand I set up the same desktop color (kelp) and a similar empty white Finder window. I sat them touching side-by-side and got my nose several inches away from the screens. At that distance I could see the grain and "sparkle" Spaz refers to that remained stationary while I moved the white window around. Only I could see it more clearly on the PB17 than on the MBP17. At anything more than 6" away the noise disappears and all that is aparent is how sharp the MBP17 display is and how the whites on the PB17 look like yellowed parchment by comparison.

So, unless the second MBP17's display is the dog's breakfast I think we have a pair of keepers.

KP* · Nov 16, 2006, 11:51 AM

I've been following this thread with great interest, as as soon as I get some money I'm going to be buying a 15" MBP (still wavering on glossy or matte). I finally got a chance to look at some floor models last night (at CompUSA -- somehow I forgot the 5th Ave Apple Store existed -- so I didn't get to see as many examples). WOW is it bad! No way I'm buying that.

Interestingly, the one 17" they had looked fine. But the two 15" on display both had it very noticeably. The Macbooks looked gorgeous, but I'm not sacrificing any little bit of power and being stuck with it for 3 or 4 years. So I guess I'll have to wait until they get a different supplier of screens for the MBP.

elvinjones · Nov 16, 2006, 11:54 AM

I just sold my powerbook G4 1,67Ghz.
What I can remember is that the screen looked good in general.
The only issue was that it wasn't bright enough. That I didn't like at all.
The display only looked grainy when I saw a video. While watching
a video it was very obvious that the quality was not that great.
I might buy a macbook pro in the future but only if
there are no issues with the display.
/Ben

TheSpaz · Nov 16, 2006, 12:01 PM

Originally Posted by KP*

I've been following this thread with great interest, as as soon as I get some money I'm going to be buying a 15" MBP (still wavering on glossy or matte). I finally got a chance to look at some floor models last night (at CompUSA -- somehow I forgot the 5th Ave Apple Store existed -- so I didn't get to see as many examples). WOW is it bad! No way I'm buying that.

Interestingly, the one 17" they had looked fine. But the two 15" on display both had it very noticeably. The Macbooks looked gorgeous, but I'm not sacrificing any little bit of power and being stuck with it for 3 or 4 years. So I guess I'll have to wait until they get a different supplier of screens for the MBP.

Yeah... the strange thing is... all the 17" MBPs I looked at... looked fine. Seriously, I didn't see a problem with those. As someone else stated, it's harder to see in the bright Apple Store lights than it is at home (plus, even if I did look at it before buying it, I probably would have thought it was just dusty and dirty from all the people who come in and play with them.)

giggs11 · Nov 16, 2006, 03:49 PM

I finally went over to my local Apple Store today to check out this "sparkle" effect or whatever it is. And I realized that there is definitely something up with the 15" MBPs (matte and glossy), especially when compared to the MacBooks. That said, I really only noticed it when I was looking at a blank white screen, like "about:blank" in Safari.

Right now, I'm waiting to see if Apple is going to address this issue at all. I just don't know that its severe enough, IMO, for it to be the kind of thing that leads them to make changes.

elvinjones · Nov 16, 2006, 05:40 PM

Originally Posted by giggs11

Right now, I'm waiting to see if Apple is going to address this issue at all. I just don't know that its severe enough, IMO, for it to be the kind of thing that leads them to make changes.

I hope they're gonna do something about it since 15" is the best size for a macbook pro in my opinion.

betonfoot · Nov 16, 2006, 08:12 PM

Has anyone called apple tech support about this issue? Do they even know that its there?

ivc · Nov 16, 2006, 10:20 PM

Make sure to let Apple know on their official feedback form what issues you have with the MacBook Pro.

Apple - MacBook Pro - Feedback

Hopefully the chance is higher that they will read the submissions there than whats posted on here and other 3rd party forums.

TheSpaz · Nov 16, 2006, 11:40 PM

I think most of the people who are noticing this horrid effect on the MacBook Pro screens are the people who have owned an Apple laptop in the past and are used to a nice clear and flawless display (such as my old PowerBook G4 that I'm using right now). It's much more appealing than the MacBook Pro display. This one looks well built and very very very low grain level. It's not as bright but, I still think it looks better than the MacBook Pro display.

One thing that you should know. If I would have known that the MacBook Pro display wasn't going to look the same (or better) than my Powerbook screen... I wouldn't have purchased it. Also, even if I did look at one at the store before I bought it, who's to say I would have noticed it there in the blinding Apple Store lights and knowing the fact that hundreds of people touch the screen, scratching and leaving fingerprints all over it. I would have just thought the screen was dirty without knowing that it's how they come out of the box.

Anyone agree with me?

iomatic · Nov 16, 2006, 11:53 PM

Nope. The MBP C2D is better, overall, than my PB 1.67.

Myth · Nov 17, 2006, 08:29 AM

I thought I was going mad. I didn't notice it straight away, but I do indeed see what looks like sparkle/shimmer at all times, and large blocks of colour (like a bright blue sky in a photo) look like they are under a kind of 'skin', particularly noticeable when you create an iPhoto slideshow and watch the pictures slide around with this 'skin' on top. I did the whole thing of checking the screen for dirt and dust etc etc, but the shimmer and skin persevere. it's a shame, as I was expecting something a little more impressive from the new iMacs. As I said, you see it on large blocks of colour, such as a blue sky on a photo, the grey botting screen or the blue swirly desktop background, and especially when running slideshows. Black is so matt and perfect it looks like a hole in the Universe though. Also, as far as I can tell the effect is always in the same place - I mean, it doesn't seem to shift around.

So, can I rest assured that this is a matt display coating issue for me and so I live with it or get something else, or is this an ATIx1600 issue (which the new 17" and 20" iMacs have as standard)? I think I'd feel better if I knew that it wasn't just me, if you know what I mean. I just can't relax though trying to decide whether I should push for a replacement machine (I'm WELL within my rights, the thing turned up 6 days ago!) or whether I can sleep comfortably knowing that it is as it is and I just have to accept it. I just need a good night's rest!!

Thanks all by the way, I'm new to all things Mac (this iMac is my own personal revolution) and I'm simply astonished by the quality of the support community out there.

TheSpaz · Nov 17, 2006, 10:17 AM

Originally Posted by Myth

I thought I was going mad. I didn't notice it straight away, but I do indeed see what looks like sparkle/shimmer at all times, and large blocks of colour (like a bright blue sky in a photo) look like they are under a kind of 'skin', particularly noticeable when you create an iPhoto slideshow and watch the pictures slide around with this 'skin' on top. I did the whole thing of checking the screen for dirt and dust etc etc, but the shimmer and skin persevere. it's a shame, as I was expecting something a little more impressive from the new iMacs. As I said, you see it on large blocks of colour, such as a blue sky on a photo, the grey botting screen or the blue swirly desktop background, and especially when running slideshows. Black is so matt and perfect it looks like a hole in the Universe though. Also, as far as I can tell the effect is always in the same place - I mean, it doesn't seem to shift around.

So, can I rest assured that this is a matt display coating issue for me and so I live with it or get something else, or is this an ATIx1600 issue (which the new 17" and 20" iMacs have as standard)? I think I'd feel better if I knew that it wasn't just me, if you know what I mean. I just can't relax though trying to decide whether I should push for a replacement machine (I'm WELL within my rights, the thing turned up 6 days ago!) or whether I can sleep comfortably knowing that it is as it is and I just have to accept it. I just need a good night's rest!!

Thanks all by the way, I'm new to all things Mac (this iMac is my own personal revolution) and I'm simply astonished by the quality of the support community out there.

Nope, you're not alone! Apple must have switched to cheaper (or more expensive) panels or something. It's not the graphics card... I've seen photos of that and it's not what we are experiencing. I feel your pain though... the grain IS UNACCEPTABLE! I noticed this effect more on the 17" iMac but, not on the 20" and 24". The grain on the iMac still isn't as bad as it was on my MacBook Pro but, I definitely know exactly what you're talking about. I'm afraid that my 20" Apple Cinema Display will look like this too... but, none of the reviews that I read said anything about haziness or grain on the display.... unless they changed these while we weren't looking too. Sad sad stuff.

TheSpaz · Nov 18, 2006, 11:05 AM

I'm starting to think I made a lot of people mad because they didn't see the grain until I pointed it out and now they're pissed off because they can't avoid seeing it now. And now everyone is returning their computers or holding off on purchasing one. My suggestion to those people getting ready to buy one. Go to an Apple Store or an Apple reseller and check out these computers... look at both the glossy and matte screens and see if you'd like working on this computer because it's gonna be what you'll be looking at if you buy it. Also look at overall build quality: Is the case solid, do the keys squeak when you tap them is there any warping or is the case becoming separated from itself (which it was on mine but, I simply pressed it down and heard a click... then it stayed down). These are all things to think about if you're gonna buy one. Have fun and don't let me change your mind about purchasing a perfectly fine machine if you don't mind what the display looks like (if you even notice it).

mrtew · 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by TheSpaz

Hello! I'm at the Apple Store! Here's my story. ...The screens I looked at:

MacBook Pro 15" - Bad Grain, very visible (like my old MacBook Pro)
MacBook Pro 17" Glossy - Happens to be a Core Duo - Little or no grain
MacBook Pro 17" Matte - Also a Core Duo (for some reason) - Little or no grain
iMac 24" and 30" - Very impressed... Virtually no grain or sparkle at all (love it)
iMac 17" - Not so much... more like the MacBook Pro 17 as far as grain goes.
20" Apple Cinema Display - Little grainy but, the bigger pixels make it look better - Not bad, I wouldn't mind it
24" Apple Cinema - Same as 20"
30" Apple Cinema - Same as 20"
MacBook - Pixel perfect - Whites are pure white - No grain that I could see

Wow I was thinking of getting a 17 inch MBP but that 30 inch iMac you looked at sounds SWEET :-] But seriously, as far as grain you'd recommend the 17 for sure right? I went to the store here yesterday and saw the 15 which is kinda noticable once you look for it. The whites look like they are covered with dirty worm trails or a dirty skin as the guy above said. And the sparkle actually seems to be a seperate issue to me but it's intense too. I'd be fine with the sparkle I think but I don't like the dirty worm trails at all.

TheSpaz · Nov 19, 2006, 10:02 AM

Originally Posted by mrtew

Wow I was thinking of getting a 17 inch MBP but that 30 inch iMac you looked at sounds SWEET :-] But seriously, as far as grain you'd recommend the 17 for sure right? I went to the store here yesterday and saw the 15 which is kinda noticable once you look for it. The whites look like they are covered with dirty worm trails or a dirty skin as the guy above said. And the sparkle actually seems to be a seperate issue to me but it's intense too. I'd be fine with the sparkle I think but I don't like the dirty worm trails at all.

That was a mistake... there is no 30" iMac... it simply looked very big to me

but, I don't know about the worm trails and I was only talking about the sparkle. You should also know that the only 17" MacBook Pro's I saw were the older Core Duo machines... not the Core 2 Duo like the 15" MBP. So you don't really know if you'll get a grainy 17" one or not.

ONG · Nov 20, 2006, 04:44 AM

i don't know if i should thank u or be mad at you for posting this.

i'll check for this before picking a 15-incher up.

danengel · Nov 20, 2006, 07:45 PM

Just got my new 15" MBP C2D, and I'm not so happy:

- uneven screen lighting
- what other people call grainy looks rather oily to me
- it's clearly a coating problem, and has nothing to do with the graphics card

Oneota · Nov 20, 2006, 08:07 PM

Indeed; my new 15" MBP C2D has a very uneven backlight, though it seems to be dependent on the angle that you view the screen. At any rate, my old PowerBook 1.25GHz had a much more consistent brightness level.

pete · Nov 20, 2006, 08:42 PM

can somebody explain the technical reason for uneven illumination? I don't quite understand the reason for the tremendous variation seen on the same model display...thanks

polendo · Nov 20, 2006, 08:43 PM

Spaz, I concur with you all the way and forget about that feeling that you spoiled every other people expectations of the MBP. It's much better to tell it like it is than to be quiet about it and then people start having problems.. thats what forums are for.
I have another theory that increments the possibility of looking at the sparkling effect. I think that if anyone who has astigmatism has a greater possibility of amplifying the sparkling effect. Basically, if you have a certain degree of astigmatism you see objects with a greater degree of contrast, thus magnifying what you see as sparkles, dust, etc. etc. In my case, I do have a small degree of astigmatism.

ONG · Nov 20, 2006, 09:08 PM

uneven illumination: i don't think it's actually uneven but it's due to the lcd screen's narrow viewing angle. so assumming your bang-on angle is right at the middle, the further out u look the dimmer it is. i find the MBP's screen got a narrower viewing angle than the older PB.... side-to-side and up/down.

Dave Hagan · Nov 20, 2006, 11:56 PM

I don't want to get into what I have already been through to this point, but I am going to call Apple and raise hell tomorrow. This is truly unacceptable. The picture below is from the iSight of another Mac of my new MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo and its horrible display.

TheSpaz · Nov 21, 2006, 12:09 PM

Originally Posted by Dave Hagan

I don't want to get into what I have already been through to this point, but I am going to call Apple and raise hell tomorrow. This is truly unacceptable. The picture below is from the iSight of another Mac of my new MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo and its horrible display.

Images removed to save space.

Wow, that does indeed look terrible. My MacBook Pro had uneven illumination too... the right side was dimmer. But, the sparkles bothered me more as it was not as bad as your screen. I'm sorry to hear that. I figured by this MBP revision, the screens would be a lot better... guess not. Does Apple even look at the computer before it ships or do they just say "Screw it, that's good 'nuff"?

ONG · Nov 21, 2006, 01:58 PM

wouldn't it be great if steve jobs started posting here?

Beam me up Scotty · Nov 21, 2006, 02:35 PM

My wife and I stopped by the Apple store at the Mall of America on Sunday to compare new laptops. We saw one 15" matte screen that was horribly grainy while another one at a different table was just fine. No one is seeing things, there deffinately is a problem with the computer, display or a setting... Since we are looking at 2 15" Macbook Pros I think we will wait to see what shakes out. I would not be happy to get one of these fuzzy displays. The glossy is too difficult to use in sunlight.

atc ben · Nov 21, 2006, 03:55 PM

Originally Posted by Dave Hagan

I don't want to get into what I have already been through to this point, but I am going to call Apple and raise hell tomorrow. This is truly unacceptable. The picture below is from the iSight of another Mac of my new MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo and its horrible display.

That looks pretty bad. My MBP showed some slight uneven illumination on the right side the first week, but it seems to have subsided. Someone asked me if I had just gotten used to it, but I don't think that's something you could get used to, but I guess it's possible. Either way, I don't notice it anymore. And my display has no more sparkle/grain than my 20" Sony LCD that's hooked up to my PC, or the 27" Toshiba LCD TV in my bedroom.

danengel · Nov 21, 2006, 04:57 PM

Changing the color of the display helped on my MBP:

In System Preferences -> Display -> Color -> Calibrate..., change the Gamma to 2.2, the White Point to D50.

KP* · Nov 21, 2006, 05:16 PM

Originally Posted by Dave Hagan

I don't want to get into what I have already been through to this point, but I am going to call Apple and raise hell tomorrow. This is truly unacceptable. The picture below is from the iSight of another Mac of my new MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo and its horrible display.

I was looking at your pictures and was like, "Yeah, that's really bad!" Then I realized I'm looking at the picture through the white spots on my PB. After a good deal of scrolling up and down and back and forth, I think I can tell the difference between what's on your crappy screen and my crappy screen.

Definitely a lot of unevenness there. I think I definitely need to take a walk to the Apple Store and examine a large sample of floor models. I don't want to be stuck staring at some inferior screen for years, and it sounds like there's more than one variety of defects with this model.

ONG · Nov 22, 2006, 11:05 PM

so i went to take at look at this "sparkly" screen at best buy today. I can see it but it's not THAT noticeable. side-by-side to the large screen iMac, which got an awesome screen, the MBP screen looks like crap and grey-ish... but by itself it's not bad.

compared to the MB (core duo)... well it's hard to compare because the MB is glossy and the MBP is matte.

what bugs me more is the narrower viewable angle. brightness changes quite a bit as u move side-to-side from centre.

danengel · Nov 23, 2006, 04:26 AM

Do the glossy MB and the glossy MBP look the same?

ONG · Nov 23, 2006, 04:48 AM

^^ if that question is pertaining to what i wrote then the answer is "i dont know" 'coz personally i didn't see a glossy MBP there. i guess it's best to see it for yourself. although i did notice the "speckles", it's not something everyone will notice unless you're looking for it, like i did. yup, i agree it's the coating and not the actual lcd.

comparing the large screen iMac and the smaller one, the larger one shows the white MUCH better. the smaller one is grey-ish... just like the MBP.

danengel · Nov 24, 2006, 04:02 PM

I just checked a couple of Macs in a store:

- There are better and worse matte MBPs. The best are somewhat O.K., the worst was unacceptable. Luckily my one is in the middle.

- The glossy MB looks nice but I'm not sure it's good to work with.

- The 24" iMac was perfect: something between matte and glossy, perfect white backgrounds, sharp text, no reflections

- Most PC notebooks around had a glossy screen similar to the MacBook.

saosin · Nov 24, 2006, 08:02 PM

okay so i'm about to purchase a mac within the next few days as i have finally sold my current system.

I went to the apple store today (black friday) and wow... the grain on the MBP's is VERY noticeable and quite frankly, very ugly!!!

Just looking at the desktop you don't really notice it, but anything white such as websites using safari or opening up a blank word document, you really seriously notcie the grain. It is very distracting and looks like theres a ton of dust inside the screen. Also the viewing angle is VERY poor, depending on where you are, the bottom of the screen might be dark or the top might be.

I would have to say for such an expensive machine this is very unacceptable quality. On another note, a 17inch mbp next to the 15 had a very clean screen, and all macbooks had gorgeous screens without this grain.

From reading these posts i thought it'd be minor grain, but eveyr single 15inch mbp at the apple store had a serious case of grain.

Now i'm very confused as what i should do since i need to make a purchase very soon!

If i were to go the macbook route and get a blackbook, would that be able to handle leopard when it comes out? I'm mainly concerned about the lack of a video card. Also, i would love to have matte for graphic work...but this grainy screen is seriously an issue and there's no way i'd be able to handle it.

ONG · Nov 25, 2006, 03:08 AM

hmmm, although i can see the "grain" it's not actually popping out unless u really look for it. the older MBP has more of this.... at least from the models i was looking at. maybe they aren't all the same? either way yes i agree the w/ the price we are paying or going to pay it should be better.

SMacSteve · Nov 25, 2006, 10:31 PM

I just bought a 15" MBP with the glossy screen because of this thread and I'm so glad I did! I previously had the MBP 15" with the Matte and while I didn't hate it. I didn't mind it either. I had been one of the crowd that believed the "Matte" was the professional choice and only "consumers" bought the glossy. Well, I'll tell you that I think the glossy is the better choice and wouldn't buy the matte screen agian. Just my two bits.

MrN79 · Nov 26, 2006, 12:14 AM

Originally Posted by danengel

Do the glossy MB and the glossy MBP look the same?

Yes

TheSpaz · Nov 26, 2006, 12:29 AM

Originally Posted by saosin

okay so i'm about to purchase a mac within the next few days as i have finally sold my current system.

I went to the apple store today (black friday) and wow... the grain on the MBP's is VERY noticeable and quite frankly, very ugly!!!

Just looking at the desktop you don't really notice it, but anything white such as websites using safari or opening up a blank word document, you really seriously notcie the grain. It is very distracting and looks like theres a ton of dust inside the screen. Also the viewing angle is VERY poor, depending on where you are, the bottom of the screen might be dark or the top might be.

I would have to say for such an expensive machine this is very unacceptable quality. On another note, a 17inch mbp next to the 15 had a very clean screen, and all macbooks had gorgeous screens without this grain.

From reading these posts i thought it'd be minor grain, but eveyr single 15inch mbp at the apple store had a serious case of grain.

Now i'm very confused as what i should do since i need to make a purchase very soon!

If i were to go the macbook route and get a blackbook, would that be able to handle leopard when it comes out? I'm mainly concerned about the lack of a video card. Also, i would love to have matte for graphic work...but this grainy screen is seriously an issue and there's no way i'd be able to handle it.

I suggest getting a 17" MacBook Pro... the screen resolution is exactly the same as the 20" Apple Cinema Display and the quality of the screen is 10x better than the 15"... which is very strange because you'd think they'd try to make the Pro models similar in build quality. Anyways... I'd go with the 17" MacBook Pro if you want a portable.

I'm getting a Mac Pro on Wednesday and I can hardly wait... it's the perfect choice for me because I already have a PowerBook G4 that still works very well and I've taken care of it... I'll use it for my mobility and use the Mac Pro for the serious work. I hope your purchase goes well and make sure you keep researching about people's problems/solutions for the model that you're thinking about getting... the internet is a wonderful tool when you want to make a big purchase. Good luck buddy!

TheSpaz · Nov 26, 2006, 12:30 AM

Well... I think it is about time that everyone got over it... Heck, I've gotten over it and I'm very happy with my current set up. I have a 20" Apple Cinema Display and I'm very satisfied with it even though it's a tad grainy but, it depends on how far away I view it from or if I even look and TRY to see it.

For example... it's a lot less noticeable when I'm closer to the display (about 12" from it) but, when I'm about 17" away from it, it's a little visible. I'd like to say it's better than the MacBook Pro but, I can't even tell anymore... maybe I just got used to it and that's just how it's gonna be so I don't even care anymore. Oh, and another thing... I just saw a MacBook Pro today at the store and the screen didn't look too bad... sure, I could see a little bit of grain but, from my memory, the 15" MBP that I had was really annoying me. Perhaps I should have given it more time for my eyes to get more used to it and to be able to see passed it and concentrate more on the actual image on the display rather than the coating on the outside. No one can really tell. All I can say right now is that I don't mind using this 20"... it's probably the best display I've ever used.

PS: I looked at a BUNCH of display models set up at Circuit City (some from Apple and a lot from other companies) and to tell you the truth... almost all of them suffered from the same problem, although some were a little worse than others but, they all had it... interesting. Can't wait to get my Mac Pro

ONG · Nov 26, 2006, 03:25 AM

Originally Posted by MrN79

Yes

actually if you've read a posting here, someone said that they are not the same. the MBP's glossy still has that anti-reflective coating under that glossy surface while the MB do not. personally I have not seen the glossy MBP since the bestbuy in my area do not stock these unfortunately. I'm starting to get interested in it.